A New Way To View A Blank Page

During my first year in middle school, I remember having a young female English teacher who'd ask us to write essays in class on whatever subject we wanted to at least twice a week. She'd put on classical music, tell us to take a sheet of paper out of our loose-leaf binder, sit at her desk with a book and wait for us to finish before she collected all of our essays, smiling proudly when she glanced at papers filled out front and back, or that needed a paper clip, which was usually me because my essays required at least three sheets of loose-leaf paper.

So many years later, what I appreciate most about this teacher was how she focused on nurturing and developing her student's diverse voices more than circling all of our grammatical errors in red. She was  one of a handful of English teachers I had who fostered this then budding writer's dream. She reinforced, this notion to me, that a blank page was nothing to be intimidated by. It was the perfect canvas for my words. 

I've tried to keep that in the forefront of my mind whenever I stare at one on my computer screen or in my notebook when I'm trying to plot a story. There have indeed been times when I can't conjure up those good writing vibes from my middle school English class and a blank page fills every crevice of my being with fear. But thankfully, it is only momentary. I don't have to wage war with it. It is my friend not my rival, as it is yours. It is your blank canvas and you are the painter who can create a masterpiece on it. Just look at the bodies of work you've already created that started with a blank page. 

Still, because we're human, and because Ms. Self Doubt likes to pop up every now and then and knock on our door, I offer these suggestions for times when you're feeling apprehensive about "tackling" a blank page. 

1.Take a deep breath and exhale. When we're anxious about doing something its reflected in us mentally and physically. Our breathing becomes shallow, our muscles tense and we may feel a sense of gloom even when it's something we're passionate about. As writers, when we first stare at a blank page, we can mentally scroll through a litany of doubts about our writing which further impedes our ability to write. By taking a deep breath and exhaling slowing, we center ourselves and calm our mind and body enough where we can shut down that negative voice buzzing in our ear.

2. Begin writing one word on an index card until you have a collection of word prompts. When you're at a standstill with a blank page, choose a word to write about. Maybe the word you choose is "Food." Oh, the possibilities. That word can trigger a nostalgic food memory from your childhood for your memoir, a step by step recipe that was passed down to you, or one you created during this pandemic that is rich with literary descriptions of aroma's, sounds, textures, and emotions for a scene with the protagonist in your novel. One suggestive word can bring a rush of several more.

3. Fill your blank page with a list. Lists are a great strategy to use when you're stymied about what to write or where to start. Creating a list of people, places, and things that hold some relevance to your life, even a to-do list can trigger a story idea. 

4. Write as if you're writing in your journal. Our journals are a welcoming quilt for our words without the pressure of judgement, ours or others. When we write in our journals we write freely without worrying about querying, or submitting, or whether an editor or publisher will accept our work. We throw caution to the wind and forget about the so called "rules" of writing. Try writing a characters dialogue as a journal entry to get into a writing groove. Sometimes we may need to view a blank page as a page in our journal to get a burst of inspiration. 

                                                                                              

                                                                                                 -- Jeanine

Jeanine DeHoney's writing has been published online, and in several magazines and anthologies. She prides herself on being able to conquer the blank page at least seventy-five percent of the time with these tips and hopes she's made her middle school teacher proud.